Iran Reimposes ‘Strict Control' of Strait of Hormuz Over Trump Blockade

Iran’s military has reimposed “strict control” of the Strait of Hormuz over President Donald Trump’s continuing naval blockade.

“Iran agreed to allow a limited number of ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz according to agreements. But the US did not fulfil their obligations. So, the Strait of Hormuz is now closed again and passage requires Iran approval,” Iran’s joint military command said on Saturday, according to the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.

The military added the waterway would remain “under strict management and control of the armed forces” as long as the US blockade continued.

It comes after Trump thanked Iran for agreeing to open the critical waterway on Friday, writing on Truth Social: “Iran has just announced that the Strait of Iran is fully open and ready for full passage. Thank you.”

But he added that the naval blockade would remain in force “until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete.”

“This process should go very quickly in that most of the points are already negotiated,” he said.

The United States said it would begin a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, after Iran had effectively closed the waterway through which one-fifth of the world's hydrocarbons transit. As a result, oil and natural gas prices spiked, raising jitters about global energy supplies.

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 6:39 AM.